§ 1971.Creation of interest in real property

This section is Chapter 6's headline entry, and it does more work as a rule of evidence than its short text might suggest: it makes a writing indispensable proof for most dealings in real property. No estate or interest in land, and no power over or concerning land, can be created, granted, assigned, surrendered, or declared except in one of two ways: by operation of law, or through a conveyance or other instrument in writing, signed by the person creating, granting, assigning, surrendering, or declaring the interest, or by that person's authorized agent acting under a written authorization.

The one carve-out is short-term leases: a lease for a term of one year or less doesn't need to meet this writing requirement. Everything else touching an estate or interest in real property, longer leases, easements, mortgages, and the like, needs a signed writing or it doesn't happen, regardless of how clearly the parties otherwise agreed.